Patent GB-391820-A (GB)
Title: Machine for capping the electrodes of dry batteries
IPC: H01M50/543
Filed: 1931-11-04
Abstract: 391,820. Capping dry battery electrodes. STEVENS, A. H., 5, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London.-(Autom Spezial-Maschinen Ges.; 5, B³lowstrasse, Berlin.) Nov. 4, 1931, No. 30626. [Class 83 (iv).] Assembling force fits.-In a machine for forcing the metal caps on the ends of the carbon pins or electrodes of electric dry battery elements, the battery elements are supplied by a shoot to an intermittently rotated carrier which presents them in succession at a capping station, the caps being supplied by another intermittently rotated carrier and the elements being moved axially by a plunger at the capping station for applying the caps. The battery element carrier 39, Fig. 3, has peripheral axially-arranged grooves 41 to which the elements 42 are supplied by a shoot 43, a guard 44 preventing the elements from leaving the grooves until the capped elements pass along a discharge shoot 48 at the lower edge of the carrier. The carrier is attached to a shaft 34, Fig. 2, and is insulated therefrom, to prevent short-circuiting of the elements during capping, by an insulating coupling 40. The shaft 34 is rotated intermittently by an eccentric pin 32 on a shaft 31 entering radial slots in a disc 33 secured thereto and locking is effected by a friction disc 35 urged by a spring 36. The shaft 31 is driven by bevel gears from a shaft 2 which is driven, simultaneously with a shaft 3, by a belt or motor driven pulley 5. The cap carrier 7 comprises an annular disc 8 rotatable on a fixed pin and secured to a disc 10 having radial slots for engagement by an eccentric pin 11 on a disc 12 rotated by chain and bevel gearing 14, 13 from the shaft 3. A brake on a drum 16, Fig. 5, attached to the disc 8 prevents movement thereof between the indexing move. ments. The disc 8 has two sets of radial recesses 20, 21, Fig. 6, the lower set being of circular section to admit a plunger 17 reciprocated through the head of the pin 6 on which the disc rotates by a lever 18 and cam 19, and the upper set being of rectangular section to support terminal-strips 22 secured to the caps 23. In operation, whilst the carriers 39, 7 are stationary a resilient plunger 49, Figs. 2 and 5, having an insulated end 65, is moved by a cam 51 on the shaft 2 and link 54 to push the element 42 which is at the capping station along its groove in the carrier and against the corresponding cap 23, thereby applying the cap to the electrode as shown in Fig. 6. Immediately prior to the assembly the cap is positioned by two dogs 62 drawn together by a spring 26 when allowed by a cam 25 on the shaft 3 and linkage 61, 24. Pins 27 on the dogs prevent undue movement thereof. The element is correspondingly positioned by a flap 45 pivoted to the guard 44 by an insulating hinge 47 and influenced by a balance weight 46. After being capped the element is returned completely within its groove in the carrier 39 by an advance of the plunger 17 and when the plungers 49, 17 have been retracted the carriers are indexed to present a fresh element and cap at the capping station. If tubular caps 28, Fig. 9, are to be applied to the electrodes, the disc 8 is replaced by a disc having radial bushes 55 to receive and locate the caps, in place of the recesses 20, 21, and the action of the positioning dogs 62 is then prevented by inserting a pin in a hole 64 in one dog to maintain them in the withdrawn position.